Lindsey Graham: Trump Is Now ‘in a Pause Situation’ on Syria

Joshua Roberts/Reuters

After meeting for lunch Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced that President Trump had agreed to slow the removal of troops from Syria. “After discussions with the president and (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph) Dunford, I never felt better about where we are headed. I think we’re slowing things down in a smart way,” Graham was quoted as saying by CNN. “I think we’re in a pause situation where we are reevaluating what’s the best way to achieve the president’s objective of having people pay more and do more,” he said. Graham explained that when Trump met with troops in Iraq last week, commanders insisted that ISIS had not been “completely destroyed,” as the president previously claimed, which shifted his thinking on the matter. “I feel better about Syria than I felt before I had lunch,” Graham said. “The president is taking this really seriously. The trip to Iraq was well-timed.” Graham had previously criticized Trump for his plan to pull out U.S. troops, labeling it a “disaster” and a “stain on the honor of the United States.”